


Please, Stay With Me

by blackfin



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bit of Fluff, Blood and Injury, Confessions, Happy Ending, Love Confessions, M/M, Major Character Injury, bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 10:56:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13052589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackfin/pseuds/blackfin
Summary: Grievously injured, too far away from the Domain to get help quickly, Sidon confesses his love for Link on a death rattle but is met with the demand that it wait until he's recovered. Desperate to save the Zora he loves, Link is willing to go to extreme means if it would mean that he'll be able to spend the rest of his life with Sidon





	Please, Stay With Me

**Author's Note:**

> I am incapable of writing just straight angst. I must have a happy ending  
> Cross posted on my tumblr, s-aizo  
> Currently accepting commissions, check my tumblr for more details  
> Kudos and comments are much appreciated! Thank you!

Blood was something he was used to seeing - it was a red that no longer turned his stomach nor sent cold chills racing along the surface of his skin but now that it was Sidon’s blood, he suddenly found himself feeling like a child who had just seen the red for the first time. A sick, desperate, disconcerting sensation swirled in the pit of his stomach as he watched the waterfall of crimson spill over his hands. Inside, it was supposed to be inside, this was supposed to not be on the outside, it was bad for it to be on the outside but no matter how much pressure he applied, how hard he tried to stem the flow, it would not say inside. The entire world seem to blink out, leaving nothing behind except for the vibrant splash of red, and the shrill ringing in his ears. 

Panting hard, sweat drenching his forehead, Link pressed hard against the wound. Between the gaps he couldn’t completely cover, hot, thick blood flowed out, staining the sandy ground beneath him. Tears streamed down his face. Hitching sobs, painful as hiccups, ripped their way out of his throat before pushing through his clenched teeth. Inside his chest, his heart slammed hard against his ribs, the pace of the beats so quick he was sure it wasn’t even beating anymore but instead, vibrating. Beneath his hysterical heart and seizing lungs, his stomach was doing backflips, sending waves of nausea and pain throughout his abdomen. 

It was bad. The wound was bad. It was deep, deep enough that Link could swear that bones were visible. He couldn’t be certain if that was something he had actually seen or if his stuttering mind didn’t know frontward from backwards. Not that any of that fucking mattered - the wound was horrific. There was nothing more to say than that. It was bad, it was fucking bad and he needed to do something about it before Sidon bled out. 

Sobbing hard, sweat dripping into his eyes, he blinked the stinging away, fighting down the hysteria, and glanced up at Sidon’s face. His eyes were closed, the lids bruised bluish. Rasping, gurgling, labored breaths struggled out of his slack jawed mouth. He was still breathing but for how much longer? He was bleeding but how much was left? Cold rushed down his spine and for a moment, he was certain he was going to wet himself. With the amount that had already come out, he couldn’t convince himself that there was that much left actually flowing through his veins. 

Biting down hard on his tongue, he made himself focus on nothing but the sharp pain. Calm, he needed to stay fucking calm. Panic wasn’t going to help no one so it needed to be stomped down to nothing more than a tiny voice in the back of his mind. There, it would stay while he figured this whole thing out. He couldn’t get rid of it entirely but that didn’t mean he’d let it control him. Dragging in a deep breath through his nose, he firmly told himself that Sidon was still breathing, that he was still alive and he needed to do everything in his fucking power to make sure that remained true. 

Pressing down even harder on the wound, he began to talk, his voice sounding so unlike his own that it nearly startled him when he heard it, “It’s gonna be okay. You’re gonna be okay. I’m not going to let you die. You’re not-you’re not going to die!”

“Link.” Sidon’s voice was so weak and quiet he almost didn’t hear it. Jerking his head up, he looked over to find that the Zora Prince’s eyes were open. Slowly, practically creaking in their sockets, his eyes rolled over to look at him. There was recognition but no focus. 

Forcing a big smile on his face, Link sniffed loudly and choked out, “It’s going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay. You’re alright, you’re okay.”

“My sister loved you, Link.” A thin stream of blood slipped from the corner of Sidon’s mouth. His chest heaved, spasmed as he struggled to pull in air. To Link, the sound reminded him of the time he had attempted to use a hollow reed to breathe underwater. 

“Sh, sh, sh, don’t talk, okay?” Bottom lip trembling, voice shaking, he felt like his face was going to split in half from the force of making himself smile so widely, “It’ll be alright, it’s gonna be okay-“

“I love my sister, too, Link but I’ve betrayed her.” Sidon coughed harshly, his large body violently shuddering. Blood splattered all over his lips, standing out in stark contrast against his pale skin. 

“No, no, no, you did no such thing. Stop talking, you need to stop talking.”

“I betrayed her.” Tears welled up at the corners of Sidon’s eyes. There, they hung like clear crystals for just a moment before spilling down his cheeks, cutting a path through the blood, “I love you, Link. Even knowing that the love she had for you was so immense, I still love you dearly, Link.”

All the air rushed out of his lungs. For a moment, all he could do was stare down dumbly at Sidon, his declaration repeating over and over again inside of his mind. Love, he loved him. How long had he longed to hear those words? How many dreams had been devoted to the act of returning them with serenades of his own love for the Zora? Cruel...this was cruel, this was so fucking cruel! After so long! So fucking long of wishing, hoping, believing that there might be something more between them, the fucking confession he had wanted to long was being given while Sidon was on Death’s door?!

Snapping his teeth together, rage turning the edges of his vision red, he shrieked, “No! You tell me that after you’ve recovered! Don’t tell me that right now, don’t you fucking dare tell me that right now! Not now! Sidon, don’t do this to me. Please, you gotta live!”

“Forgive me.” Sidon whispered, voice strangled, though if it was because of his condition or emotions, Link couldn’t tell. Agony glimmered sickly in his unfocused, hazy eyes, “Forgive me, Link.”

“No! I don’t!” Link screamed, spittle, snot and tears flying everywhere. Pressing down hard on the wound, willing with his might for the blood to stop, he gasped, “Live, please, don’t leave me. I can’t-I can’t! Not someone else! Please!”

There was no response from Sidon. Looking up, his heart froze in his chest, coming to a standstill in such a sudden moment that he nearly fell over. Sidon’s eyes were closed, he could no longer see the subtle movement of his chest or the rattling breaths. Everything was sudden still - a disturbing stillness that seemed unnatural. A weird noise tumbled from between his lips as his mind struggled to comprehend. Blinking rapidly, he opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to sob, scream, cry or do anything other than just stare. 

Moving in jerky, unnatural movements as though the shock, the grief had disconnected his limbs from his mind, he placed his ear against Sidon’s chest. Holding his own breath, tears, snot and Sidon’s blood smearing against his skin, he prayed. Prayed angrily, desperately, begging to whoever the fuck was listening - only three words, repeated over and over again: please not him. Digging his fingers into the smooth flesh of Sidon’s chest, he begged, pleaded, prayed, ready to give up everything, sacrifice everyone if it would just mean that he wouldn’t lose Sidon. 

He almost didn’t catch it, almost didn’t hear it but, by something’s grace, he did. Sidon’s chest was still just barely moving and somewhere, deep inside, there was a soft, weak beat. Sucking in a deep, shuddering breath, Link shot up, eyes straining in their sockets. Still alive, still fucking alive! Panting hard, bloodied hands flying to his hair to grip tightly onto it so he could just have something to hold onto, frantic jumbles of words racing through his mind. Still alive, he was still alive. On Death’s fucking door but not over the threshold yet. There was still time, he just needed to act. 

It was easy to realize that but what did he need to do? Ripping off his shirt, he pressed it against Sidon’s wound as a makeshift bandage. Dragging Sidon somewhere was ill advisable. The bleeding had slowed to a near stop but one misjudged move could get it going again. Not to mention, he had no idea what kind of internal injuries the Zora Prince could possibly had. No, no, no, he needed to be careful. What could he do? The Domain was at the bottom of a fucking mountain. Just getting along the path alone would be impossible. Throw in monsters in that concoction and he’d be asking for both of them to get killed. Even if, somehow, he managed to avoid all the monsters, it would take him an hour to get down, alert anyone to what was going on, then it’d be another hour to get back up. 

What could he do? How much longer could Sidon hold on? Death wouldn’t wait much longer to claim him. He needed to think of something, anything but his mind refused to work. Like a child, it huddled in a corner of his head, arms wrapped around its knees, rocking back and forth as pathetic tears streamed down its cheeks. Link grabbed hold of it, shook it violently and demanded that it work, that it think of something that he could do other than just sit around like an invalid but it would not listen. All it could do was wail in despair and fear. 

Panic was winning, or, at least, coming very closely too. As the seconds ticked by with him doing nothing, staring down at the blood soaked shirt, knowing full well that at any moment, that precious heartbeat could come to a stop. What could he do? What could he do? There was nothing he could do! He was fucking stuck at the top of a mountain with a grievously wound, giant fucking Zora - what the fuck was he supposed to do?! What could he do?! Fucking Champion, supposed to be the light of this world and he couldn’t even figure out how to save on fucking Zora! 

Slamming a balled fist into the ground with enough force to break his fingers and, judging by the pain that suddenly radiated up his arm, knew that he had broken something, Link wrapped every moment of willpower around his mind. Squeezing hard, he forced it to think. What could he do? Getting down to the Domain was not an option but...there was something he could do. Gasping loudly, sounding like a drowning man finally being able to come up for air, forgetting all about the fear and pain, the idea slammed into him. He couldn’t be sure it would work but it was better than doing nothing. 

Pressing close to Sidon, Link yanked his sword out of its sheath. The blade glittered dully in the bright, afternoon sun. Steeling himself, he offered up one more prayer. Just one word, whispered underneath his breath as he placed the tip of his sword against his abdomen. 

“Please.” 

There was no fear, no despair, only a quiet knowledge that this was his only shot. Pulling in a deep breath, he plunged the sword into the side of his stomach. Clenching his teeth together, he screamed in agony as burning, horrific pain overwhelmed his entire body. White flooded his vision, turning the entire world into a sunspot. Bile came rushing up his throat, then spewed forward with another scream. Fighting to remain conscious, Link didn’t stop until the blade exited out the other side. Gripping tightly onto the handle, his fingers nearly slipping on the blood, he wrenched it out, tossed it aside and slumped down on top of Sidon. 

A moment later, white was accompanied with a soft hue of green. Warmth enveloped him, chasing away every single trace of pain. Dazed, dizzy and exhausted, Link forced his eyes to remain open, watching as the tendrils of green weaved frantically around him. There was no pain left, instead replaced with a tingling itchiness that was nearly as unbearable as the pain. As always, whenever his carelessness brought this miracle into being, the urge to scratch wildly at his closing wound nearly drove him to insanity. 

Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the color faded away. As it did, he heard a familiar voice whispering into his ear, “Tell him that I love him, I will always love him and that my only wish is for him, and you to be happy. Live, Link. Both you and him must live.”

Later, he wouldn’t be certain whether or not he had truly heard her voice but, at that moment, he could practically see her, outlined in the soft hue of color. One arm weakly reached out to her but before his fingers could make contact, she was gone. Shakily, his limbs feeling a little like overcooked noodles, Link pushed himself up. Holding his breath, hoping that what he had seen meant it had worked, Link carefully peeled away the soaked shirt to reveal the completely smooth, unmarked skin underneath. 

All strength vacated his body. Dropping back down onto Sidon, he began to sob in earnest. Loud, choking, messy sobs wracked his entire body. In-between soggy gasps, hiccups and coughs, he wailed his thanks, over and over again until the words sounded like a chant. Suddenly, something lightly touched his head. Jerking up, his blurred vision found Sidon’s face. Half-lidded, dazed golden eyes gazed up at him. Sidon’s fingers weaved through the strands of his hair, pushing it away from his red, sweaty face. 

“Link.” He breathed, “How-?”

“Your sister loves you, Sidon.” Link replied, a big, stupid smile on his face. Wiping wetness away from his cheeks, “You could never betray her because the only thing she could ever want is for you to be happy. So,” Link reached forward to wipe away the tears and dried blood from Sidon’s cheeks, “tell me again. Tell me now that our whole lives are ahead of us.”

“I love you.” He whispered, turning his head slightly so he could kiss Link’s fingers, “For a very, very long time, I’ve loved you.”

“I love you, too.” The words came rushing out, as though they had been eagerly waiting at the back of his tongue, waiting for him to finally get the chance to say it. Jolting forward, he pressed his lips against Sidon’s. The kiss tasted of salt and copper, “So, please, I beg of you. Don’t leave me.”

“I won’t. I swear to you, I won’t.” Sidon wrapped a hand around the back of his head, pulling him even closer and kissed him with all the energy he had, which didn’t end up being a lot but was very much appreciated. 

“We need to get you back to the Domain.” Regretfully, he pulled away, stealing one more kiss as he went, “We’re sitting ducks out here in the open. You’ve lost a lot of blood so we can’t afford another injury.”

With a grunt of agreement, Sidon slowly, shakily got himself up into a sitting position. That alone seemed to sap away what strength he had left. Head bowing, his body shuddering, Sidon panted, “I don’t think I can walk.”

Fluttering around him like a worried mother hen, feather light touches dancing over the surface of his flushed skin, reassuring him over and over again that he was okay, that he was alive, Link soothed, “Okay, that’s okay. Um,” his head swiveled around, gaze flickering over their surroundings to see if there was anywhere they could make shelter. Nothing at all. Just a tree that he could easily wrap his arms around. There were currently no monsters around but the sunlight was fading. With the dark, came the cold. He would probably be able to get a fire going but it didn’t seem like a good idea to have Sidon out in the open for that long. 

“My whistle.” 

“What?” Link asked, turning back to Sidon. 

He pointed at the whistle that hung around his neck, “You can use it to call for help. Blow it. They will hear in the Domain. It will let them know I am in trouble.”

Well, that explained what the whistle was for, which was something Link had been wondering about for a while. Scooting forward, he got himself into the awkward position of kneeling in front of Sidon, surrounded by his bent legs, then placed the whistle in his mouth and blew. It emitted a high-pitched, shrill note that seemed to echo inside of his mind. Once he felt like he had blown enough, he sat back, a little breathless. 

“How long will it take them to get here?”

“Not long.” Sidon slowly raised his head, settling an exhausted, weary gaze on him, “I’m sorry, Link.”

Link shook his head, “Not right now. None of that right now, okay?”

“I love you, Link.”

Leaning forward, he rested his forehead on Sidon’s chest. For a moment, he remained like that, eyes fluttering closed, just listening to the sound of him breathing, feeling his chest rise and fall with the force of his breath, and letting the knowledge that he was alive, he was okay repeat in his mind. Sidon’s arms enclosed around him. A soft kiss was pressed against his temple. Snuggling closer, being careful of how much weight he placed on the Zora Prince, Link felt the tension slowly flood out of his body. Nightmares were going to haunt him for months, possibly even years to come - just another entry into the roster of night terrors he already had but that thought didn't scare him in the slightest. After all, they would just be nightmares. When he awoke, Sidon would be there beside him. His warmth, his scent, his presence would envelope him, becoming larger, more important than any nightmare could ever be. 

“I love you, too.” He murmured, drawing even closer. 

“This wasn’t how I wanted the confession to go.” Sidon chuckled, sounding like he was on the verge of falling asleep. 

“You can confess to me in a much better way when we get back to the Domain because I’m still mad at you for waiting until you were about to die to tell me.” Link retorted without any heat. 

“I’m sorry. I will.” Sidon was definitely falling asleep. His words were becoming slightly stirred. He began to tilt to the side slightly. Before he could fall over, Link gently lead him down to the ground, lying him down with his head carefully placed in his lap. Stroking the top of his head, he leaned down to give Sidon a quick, soft kiss. 

“Stay with me, okay?” He whispered against Sidon’s lips. 

“Always, my pearl.” Sidon breathed, then obviously lost his battle with consciousness. Strong, even breaths puffed in and out, rising and falling. 

Curling close, feeling sleep threatening him as well, Link rested his forehead against the curve of Sidon’s head fin. There was going to be a very stern discussion in their future about the importance of being careful, that neither one of them was invincible, and he would not tolerate such behavior from Sidon. He was sure the Zora Prince would have similar words for him - he would take them to heart gladly. After all he had lost, and all he had gained, he had no issue with being more careful. 

But all that could wait until Sidon was better. Right now, there was nothing more important than that. A new, better confession had best be delivered during that time. The Zora Prince had stolen 10 years off his life, so he had best give it back, plus interest with a profound confession of love. For all the nightmares he was going to have, he wanted the same amount of dream-like moments, filled with warmth and love, in his awake state.


End file.
